BROOKLYN -- Today, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Assemblymember Joan Millman, Council Member Brad Lander and Council Member Stephen Levin, released the following statement upon SUNY's attempt to close Long Island College Hospital this weekend:

BROOKLYN -- Today, State Senators Daniel Squadron and Martin Malavé Dilan, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and the Riders Alliance announced that the G train Full Line Review requested by Squadron and Dilan earlier this year will lead to major improvements along the line, including recommendations of a 25 percent increase in evening rush trains and new station improvements to end the notorious "G Train Sprint."

NEW YORK—State Senator Daniel Squadron and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio today marked the fifth consecutive year in which the July 4th fireworks are being held on the Hudson River, and called for the return of the fireworks display to the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront – in view of the millions of residents who live in Brooklyn, Queens and on the East Side of Manhattan.

Squadron-Silver Legislation Would Give More Middle Income Families Access to Affordable Housing

ALBANY -- Senator Daniel Squadron announced that, today, the State Senate passed his legislation to make the Mitchell-Lama Housing Program more accessible to middle class families. The Assembly passed the legislation earlier this month; it will now be sent to the Governor.

Current law stipulates that families with two or more dependents -- whose joint annual net income exceeds 100% but is below 125% of average median income (AMI) -- are eligible for Mitchell-Lama housing if they pay a rental surcharge. But by making this allowance available only to families with dependents, many families are excluded simply because they don’t have children.

Across State, Black New Yorkers 4.5 Times More Likely to Be Arrested as White New Yorkers; Disparity is 9-to-1 in Brooklyn and Manhattan

ALBANY -- With new data highlighting dramatic racial disparities in low-level marijuana arrests around New York, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Karim Camara, members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, the Drug Policy Alliance, the New York Civil Liberties Union, VOCAL-NY, and community members made an end-of-session push for Senate passage of legislation to bring consistency and fairness to marijuana arrests.

Squadron Also Announces Legislation to Require Participation of Well-Funded Conservancies in Alliance

LOWER EAST SIDE – With pools in low-income neighborhoods on the chopping block this summer, and disparities between parks around the city continuing to grow, State Senator Daniel Squadron and parks advocates are calling on large, well-funded park conservancies to join Squadron's proposed Neighborhood Parks Alliance to ensure more equity across the city's 1,700 parks, and urging an increase in parks funding. Squadron was joined by parks advocates at Sara D. Roosevelt Park on the Lower East Side.

NEW YORK -- Today, State Senator Daniel Squadron reacted to the news that four NYC pools -- in East Harlem, Brownsville, Fort Totten, and Staten Island -- are in danger of closing, and that the Parks Department may have to shorten the season for all city pools.

GENDA Would Expand Hate Crimes Law to Include Crimes Against Transgender New Yorkers, Prohibit Discrimination Based on Gender Expression or Identity

ALBANY -- State Senator Daniel Squadron, the Senate sponsor of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), is urging immediate Senate passage of his legislation following a spate of anti-LGBT attacks around New York.

GENDA (S195/Squadron - A4226/Gottfried) would prohibit discrimination against transgender New Yorkers when it comes to housing, employment, credit, and public accommodations, while expanding New York's hate crimes law to include crimes against transgender individuals.

Last month, the Assembly passed the legislation for the sixth time. Yet the Senate Republican leadership has continued to block a vote on the bill.

"Now more than ever it's vital that New York sends a strong message that intolerance, discrimination, and hate have no place here or anywhere," said Senator Daniel Squadron. "Yet it's still possible for New Yorkers to be discriminated against because of their gender identity or expression. No one should lose their job, be evicted from their home, or denied basic public accommodations because of how they identify. Countless other states and municipalities have acted, yet New York remains behind. It's time to finally pass GENDA so that New York provides all people with the fairness and dignity they deserve."

ALBANY – State Senator Daniel Squadron announced that the full State Senate has passed his legislation to provide law enforcement with better tools to crack down on careless drivers who injure or kill pedestrians and bicyclists.

The bill, also sponsored by Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, would strengthen “Hayley and Diego’s Law” (Vehicle & Traffic Law 1146), which Squadron and Kavanagh introduced and passed after the tragic deaths of Hayley Ng, 4, and Diego Martinez, 3. The children were killed in 2009 in Chinatown when a delivery van that was left in reverse jumped the curb and hit the children.

New York, NY – New York State Senators Brad Hoylman and Daniel Squadron released the following statement today about a reported anti-gay attack on Broadway between Prince and Houston Streets early Tuesday morning.

“Words cannot express our shock and outrage over this latest apparent incident of hate violence directed at the LGBT community -- which occurred shortly after over a thousand New Yorkers marched to mourn the murder of Mark Carson and demand an end to anti-LGBT violence. We are grateful to the NYPD for swiftly apprehending two suspects, who we are confident will be subject to the full weight of the criminal justice system.

This sort of hate and violence has no place here in New York City, or anywhere. As we head into Pride Month, the LGBT community must stay vigilant, and all New Yorkers must speak out forcefully against bias attacks of any kind to make certain that these kinds of crimes get the attention and universal condemnation they deserve.”

Two ramps connecting the bridge and the FDR expanded, easing notorious bottlenecks

Third ramp, from bridge to Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn, to expand later this year

New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and State Senator Daniel Squadron today announced the expansion of access ramps to and from the Brooklyn Bridge and the FDR Drive, which will now accommodate two traffic lanes and simplify traffic patterns, easing notorious traffic bottlenecks for many of the 120,000 vehicles that cross the bridge daily as bridge rehabilitation continues.

NEW YORK -- Today, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Manhattan Borough Parks Commissioner William Castro, the Lower East Side Waterfront Alliance, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Community Board 3 opened part of the new waterfront park at Pier 42 on the Lower East Side for interim recreational use with a Waterfront Community Day and the launch of Paths to Pier 42, a series of art, educational, and design installations along the East River waterfront throughout the summer of 2013.

Today's opening makes a section of the pier accessible to the public, as planning for the redevelopment of the pier into a full waterfront park proceeds. The public, for the first time, is now able to visit Pier 42, with the northern section between the greenway and the waterfront open for interim use. The space has been partially resurfaced and picnic tables have been installed for public use so that visitors can take advantage of the East River waterfront.

ALBANY -- State Senator Daniel Squadron, the Senate sponsor of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), released the following statement after the Assembly passed the legislation for the sixth time, with hundreds of activists in the Capitol lobbying for the bill as part of Equality & Justice Day:

"Today the Assembly passed GENDA for the sixth time. Yet Senate Republicans continue to block a vote on this critical bill.

ALBANY -- Today, the NY State Senate Committee on Housing, Construction, and Community Development passed Senator Daniel Squadron's bill to make the Mitchell-Lama Housing Program more accessible to middle class families.

Current law stipulates that families with two or more dependents -- whose joint annual net income exceeds 100% but is below 125% of average median income (AMI) -- are eligible for Mitchell-Lama housing if they pay a rental surcharge. But by making this allowance available only to families with dependents, many families are excluded simply because they don’t have children.

BROOKLYN -- State Senator Daniel Squadron, who represents Long Island College Hospital (LICH) and its surrounding communities, released the following statement upon the State University of New York's decision to withdraw its closure plan for LICH. Instead of pursuing the closure plan, SUNY will work on securing a sustainability plan without an active closure plan on the table -- creating the possibility of collaborative process:

It's good news that SUNY is withdrawing its closure plan for LICH. Now there's a real opportunity for a collaborative process that engages the community and local leaders on LICH's future.

We've been making our voices heard loud and clear: LICH is vital to Brooklyn. And it's clear we're being heard.

Thank you for your wonderful contribution to the New York State Senate’s Earth Day Poster Contest. This year we received many outstanding posters that exemplify the creativity of the young people in the 26thSenatorial District.

Each entry from my District displayed tremendous originality and vision as well as obvious concern for the ecological future of our communities and our state. I am proud of your work and that of your classmates, and encourage you to continue to study and learn more about the serious challenges that face our environment.

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the 2013 Earth Day Poster Contest from my District is:

Squadron: In Aftermath of Scandals, Senate Should Be Ashamed To Block Campaign Finance Reform & Choose Corporate Special Interests Over People

ALBANY – Today, State Senator Daniel Squadron slammed Senate Republicans for blocking his campaign finance reform legislation that would make New York a national leader in the fight against the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision and give people, rather than corporations, a stronger voice in the political process.

The "Corporate Political Activity Accountability to Shareholders Act" (S177) would require shareholder approval for corporate political contributions, public disclosure of the contributions, and justification of the business rationale for making them.

New Numbers Show G Train Ridership Grew More Than Any Other Subway Line in 2012

Call for MTA to Consider New Data as Part of Full Line Review of G Train

BROOKLYN, NY—State Senators Daniel Squadron and Martin Dilan and members of the Riders Alliance called on the MTA today to increase G train service in light of new ridership data that showed G train service increasing by a higher percentage than any other train in the last year. G train service grew by 4.2% on an average weekday in 2012, according to new ridership data released by the MTA, carrying an average of 2,000 more riders each weekday than in 2011.

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